HETHERINGTON: If this £825k win in Shard sweepstake sounds like a tall story - then that's because it is

Tony Hetherington is Financial Mail
on Sunday's ace investigator, fighting readers corners, revealing the
truth that lies behind closed doors and winning victories for those who
have been left out-of-pocket. Find out how to contact him below.

Fake address: Graceton Security Company said it was based at the Shard

Mrs K. D. writes: I am sending you a letter from Graceton Security Company telling me I have won a sweepstake. I cannot believe that without any prior knowledge I have been entered in a draw and have won £825,000. The letter also refers to a ‘clearance fee’ which is due and it advises me to keep my win a secret. I am convinced this is a scam and I am far too long in the tooth to fall for it.

You are absolutely right. This is a scam. There is no Graceton Security Company, according to Companies House.

And if you go to the address on its letterhead, at 32 London Bridge Street, you find the Shard, one of the tallest buildings in Europe, with one of the greatest views over London, but with absolutely no sign of any sweepstake firm waving a cheque for £825,000.

Even Graceton’s postcode is a fake. The letter shows it as London SE1 9SY, but this is an obsolete code that was withdrawn about five years ago when existing buildings were demolished and the Shard went up.

Perhaps Graceton is in hiding as part of its advice that you keep your good fortune a secret. The letter explains: ‘This is part of our security protocols to avoid double claims and unwarranted abuse of this programme by nominees.’

As for double claims, this would hardly be surprising. A reader in Somerset (thank you, Mr W) has also sent me a copy of the letter he received from Graceton. And – would you believe it? – he has also won £825,000, with exactly the same lucky numbers shown in your letter, and he never entered for any prize draw either.

It is almost as if whoever is behind the scam has printed off loads of identical letters and sent them to people all over the country. Perhaps this trickster is simply looking to pocket lots of so-called ‘clearance fees’, while the £825,000 prize does not even exist.

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That would be unthinkable, so in search of reassurance I rang the London number shown on Graceton’s notepaper: 020 7570 0342. I wanted to speak to Peter Addison, whose name is printed at the foot of your letter, though inexplicably the signature itself says ‘H. Hyndman’.

The name did not really matter. The number just rang and rang with no reply. If anyone had answered, I am confident they would have happily offered me the £825,000 instead of giving it to you. Just as long as I paid the ‘clearance fee’ first, of course.

Bank’s word isn’t its bond over better interest rate

A. E. writes: I applied for a one-year bond with Birmingham Midshires yielding interest at 2 per cent.

But then I received a letter saying a new bond had been opened several days earlier paying 2.75 per cent, so my money was being transferred to this and I was given a new account number.

A fortnight later a further letter arrived saying, oops, there had been a mistake. I would get 2.75 per cent for only 16 days, after which my bond would be closed and my money moved to a new account yielding 2 per cent.

I told the bank’s customer relations people I believed they had cancelled my original investment and offered me a new contract, which I accepted, so they should honour the agreement in black and white to pay 2.75 per cent.

The difference in interest over the life of the bond is £1,035. They have offered me £50 instead.

The first letter from Birmingham Midshires could not have been clearer. It told you that your application to invest £138,000 had been received and the money was on deposit earning 2.75 per cent.

The letter explained: ‘If you originally applied for our one-year fixed-rate yearly interest bond which offered tiered rates of interest up to 2 per cent gross, we have opened you a new account and invested your funds in our new product.’

What could be better than a bank that plays so fair with customers that it gives them the benefit of a new rate that is higher than the rate they expected? But what a shame Birmingham Midshires had to spoil things by trying to backtrack.

The bank says: ‘The error in rate occurred due to being incorrectly entered when the account was initially opened.’

This does not quite explain why you were sent a letter saying that although you had applied for the original bond, your savings were going into the new product.

No matter. I am pleased to say Birmingham Midshires will honour the higher 2.75 per cent rate, and you are even getting the extra £50 to make up for the inconvenience.

If you believe you are the victim of financial wrongdoing, write to Tony Hetherington at Financial Mail, Room 301, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TS or email tony.hetherington@mailonsunday.co.uk. Because of the high volume of enquiries, personal replies cannot be given. Please send only copies of original documents, which we regret cannot be returned.